Breech-piece for guns.



Patented N0v.7, 1911.

K. VULLBR. BREEOH PIECE FOR GUNS. APPLICATION FILED OUT. 18, 1910.

COLUMBIA PuNoaRAPH CO..WASnDIOT0n. n. c.

I UNITED STATES PATENT UFFTQE.

KARL VfiLLER, OF DUSSELDORF, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR TO RI-IEINISCI-IE METALL-WAAREN- UND MASCHINENFABRIK, OF DUSSELDORF-DERENDORF, GERMANY.

BREECH-PIECE FOR GUNS.

mosses.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. *7, 1911.

Application filed. October 18,? 1910. Serial No. 587,729.

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, KARL VtiLLER, engineer, a subject of the GrermanEmperor, re-V siding at 17 J tilicherstras'se, Dusseldorf, Germany, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Breech-Piecesfor Guns;and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to breechpieces of the kind in which thebreech block is closed by an accumulator connected with the closinglever.

The construction according to the invention differs from otherconstructions of the kind in that the accumulator is so arranged thatthe turning moment acting on the lever when the breech block is in wideopen position is Zero or nearly zero and gradually increases as thebreech block moves into the closed position, attaining a maximum in thelast stage of the movement; in other words, the closing force isgreatest when the breech block is in its end position, when a largeforce is requisite for properly closing the breech.

The invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanyingdrawings wherein Figure 1 shows the breech-piece in side elevation andFigs. 2 and 3 in plan, the breech block being closed in Fig. 2 and openin Fig. 3.

To the breech-piece a of the barrel 6 is pivoted the closing lever c,which carries an arm d provided with a pin 6. This pin engages a block fadapted to slide in a curved groove 9. By turning the lever the block fis moved along the groove and the breech block it is thus shifted. Thebolt 2', which forms the pivot for the lever in the breech block, turnswith the lever c.

The opening of the breech, whether by hand or automatically, puts undertension a spring accumulator, which in returning to its normal conditioncloses the breech by turning the bolt *5 and with it the lever c. To theend of the bolt 2' projecting from the breech-piece, there is fixed asecond lever k to which a sleeve Z is linked. A second sleeve m, slideson the sleeve Z and a helical spring a under compression between the twosleeves tends to force them apart. This ac- ;cumulator is pivoted to thebreech-piece by ,pin 0, and is so placed that the turning moment of thespring n on the pivot i is zero when the breech block is in its wideopen position, since then the extended axis of the spring 01, passesthrough the axis of the pivot i.

In order that the breech block, when it is nearly fully opened (Fig. 3)may not close again under the pressure of the spring, the breech blockis held temporarily in this po sition by the cartridge ejector p whichis pivoted in the usual manner in the breechpiece. For this purpose theejector has a stop 0" on the side turned toward the breech block,against which stop strikes the end 3 of a groove, made in the breechblock to accommodate the stop, when the breech is be ing opened. Thisturns the ejector so that its claws t engage in notches u in the breechblock and thus prevent the latter from closing prematurely.

When the shell is inserted in the charge chamber the ejector is returnedto its normal position by the rim of the cartridge casing. This causesthe claws t to leave the notches in the breech block and at the sametime the latter is pushed into the breech-piece slightly by theprojection 1", thus starting the closing movement by bringing the lever70 out of its dead position. The spring now obtains a small butgradually increasing leverage and the closing of the breech blockproceeds with increasing force until it is completely home. Theproportions are preferably such that the increase of the leverage morethan compensates the decrease in the pressure exerted by the graduallyextending spring.

In order that the breech may be automatically closed without having toload the gun. the ejector p is provided with an outwardly extending tail0. When this tail is pushed by hand the cartridge ejector is moved inthe same sense as it is by inserting a shell, with the same results.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a gun, in. combination, a breechblock, a lever for actuating thelatter, and a springactuated toggle connected to said lever, the centralpivot of said toggle being in line with the end pivots when thebreechblock is open, and which toggle is broken in the closing movementof the breech-block.

2. In a gun, in combination, a breechblock, a lever for actuating thelatter fulcrumed on the gun and having an arm carrier by its pivot, anda spring-accumulator pivoted to the gun and to the outer end of saidarm, said accumulator being on dead center With said arm When thebreech-b1ock is open and designed to exert a constantlyincreasingleverage as the breech-block is being moved to its closed position.

3. In a gun, in combination, a breechblock, a lever for actuating thelatter fulcrumed on the gun and having an arm carried by its pivot, anda spring-accumulator comprising a two-part telescopic casing and aspring inclosed thereby, one of said parts being connected to said armand the other to the breech.

In testimony whereof, I have signed this specification in the presenceof tWo subscribing Witnesses.

KARL VoLLER. a 5.

Witnesses WALTER VoNNEGU'r, ALFRED HENKEL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained. for five cents each, byaddressingthe Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. G.

